2019 Hyundai Kona Electric problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (28) · Fuel/Propulsion System (9) · Service Brakes (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Kona Electric model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2021-03-01 · campaign 21V127000 · 4,696 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric and 2020 Ioniq Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
Risk: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the interim action is complete. Hyundai will notify owners, and as an interim action, owners have the option to follow provided instructions to perform a battery update through the vehicle's infotainment system or request a Hyundai dealer to provide the update. Once parts are available, dealers will inspect the Battery System Assembly (BSA), and replace it if necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module:software 2020-12-01 · campaign 20V748000 · 8,176 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Nexo Fuel Cell and 2019-2021 Kona Electric vehicles. The Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) system may detect an abnormal sensor signal and as a result, may significantly reduce braking performance.
Risk: Reduced braking power could lengthen the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the IEB software, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 199.
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:management System/Energy Control Module (Bms/Becm):software 2020-10-13 · campaign 20V630000 · 6,707 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.
Risk: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Battery Management System (BMS) software and inspect the Li-ion battery, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the repair is complete. The recall began November 13, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 196.
Service bulletins (68)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2026-10-15 · 26-GI-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (pdw) sensor(s) that may trigger various dtcs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the pdw sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. this condition may be a res
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-09-09 · 9C5 OL · Service Campaign
hyundai has determined that certain kona electric and ioniq electric vehicles are eligible for a bms software update. this update to the bms software improves the system’s diagnostic capability.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-08-17 · 26-01-065H DCS · Service Campaign
certain kona electric (os ev) and ioniq electric (ae ev) vehicles are eligible for a battery management system (bms) software update. this update to the bms software improves the system's diagnostic capability. follow technical service bulletin (tsb) 26-01-065h to complete the bms software update.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-08-14 · 26-01-065H TSB · Service Campaign
certain kona electric (os ev) and ioniq electric (ae ev) vehicles are eligible for a battery management system (bms) software update. this update to the bms software improves the system’s diagnostic capability. follow this bulletin to complete the bms software update.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-08-13 · 26-01-065H DN · Service Campaign
certain kona electric (os ev) and ioniq electric (ae ev) vehicles are eligible for a battery management system (bms) software update. this update to the bms software improves the system’s diagnostic capability.
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DL · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn). these inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehi
Showing the 6 most recent of 68 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-09-18 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 70,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2019 hyundai kona. the contact stated that while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated rapidly through a busy intersection on its own and would not slow or stop, despite the brake pedal being depressed. as a result, the contact briefly lost control of the vehicle as it swerved left to right, only comi…”
2025-08-15 · Service Brakes · 🔥 fire“component failed: electric transmission/drive unit failed twice before 150,000 miles. still in vehicle, available for inspection. safety risk: loss of propulsion while driving creates risk of being rear-ended or stranded in dangerous traffic conditions. right now the car is not drivable confirmed by: problem confirmed by hyundai dealership/servi…”
2025-02-18 · Power Train“-the gear drive was diagnosed as needed to be replaced -the gru may lock up during driving causing the vehicle to stop -dealer confirmed needs replacing -no warnings or lights on vehicle, it was noticed that the vehicle made a louder noise while driving but could be confused with tires or normal air noise while driving.…”
2025-01-18 · Electrical System:propulsion System:charging:cable/Cord:accessory“the charging unit made by enel x called a juicebox 40 failed to complete a charge. upon examination of the charger it was determined that the plug from the unit to the 240v receptacle was fused to the outlet and could not be removed. when my electrician opened the box he was able to force the plug out of the outlet. he found that the plug was burne…”
2023-09-30 · Service Brakes“i started directing the car to the side of the road to park. as i was guiding the car to a stop, with my foot on the brake, i was about 12 ft. from the car in front of me when the car suddenly accelerated. the vehicle accelerated for approximately 10 ft. before the anti-collision system auto-braked the car just prior to impacting the car in front o…”
2023-09-15 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the vehicle began making a clicking/ticking sound under acceleration and deceleration. the noise progressively worsened until the dealer diagnosed the motor as failing internally and replaced it under warranty. several people online in forums have experienced the same issue, some cases resulted in the reduction gear catastrophically failing causing…”
2023-05-03 · Service Brakes · 70,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2019 hyundai kona. the contact stated while driving at 10 mph, the steering wheel became stiff without any warning, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. the vehicle drove into a parking lot. the contact desperately pressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop. the contact jumped out of the vehicle and th…”
2023-04-25 · Engine“i purchased a 2019 hyundai kona electric from dealership. they said they had to change the electric battery before selling it to us and now the emergency light went on the dash we brought it back to the dealership and they said the battery the installed is not safe and will take 6 months to get a new one and are not giving us a car to drive.…”
2022-10-14 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2019 hyundai kona. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v127000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the cont…”
2022-07-25 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2019 hyundai kona. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v127000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.